Method of making bag frames



July 12, 1938. J F, CQX

METHOD OF MAKING BAG FRAMES Filed May 6, 1936 J lkv227iozw '06? 01 Patented July 12, 1938 UNITED STATES 2,123,842 METHOD OF MAKING BAG FRAMES Joseph 'F. C'ox, Arlington,

Mass, assignor to United-Carr Fastener Corporation, Cambridge,

Mass, a corporation of Massachusetts Application May 6, 1936, SeriaLNo. 78,161

1 Claim.

My invention relates to improvements in the method of making frames for ladies hand bags and the like containers.

An object of my invention is to provide a bag frame section formed from a single strip of sheet metal material which is preformed in a way to enable the blank of the section to be more easily bent into a finished bag frame section than by any method heretofore known in the art.

Referring to the drawing, which illustrates a preferred embodiment of my invention:--

Figure 1 is a side elevation, partly in section, of a completed frame section;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary plan view of a blank for a bag frame section showing my invention;

Fig. 3 is a top plan view of the channel strip formed by a bending operation on the blank;

Fig. 4 is a section taken on the line 4--4 of Figure 1;

Fig. 5 is a section taken on the line 5-5 of Figure 1; and

Fig. 6 is a section taken on the line 6-6 of Fi 2.

Referring to the preferred embodiment of my invention, as illustrated by the drawing, I have shown in Fig. 1 a completed hand bag section made from a single strip of sheet metal having a main portion I and legs or end portions 2 disposed in angular relation thereto. An earshaped element 3 is formed integral with the free end of one of the end portions'and a hollow bearing 4 is formed integral with the free end of the other portion. The elements 3 and 4 are adapted to be pivotally connected with cooperating respective elements at the free ends of the end portions of another frame section (not shown) so as to provide a complete hand bag frame having two substantially identical U-shaped sections. The frame section, in my preferred form, as most clearly illustrated in Figs. 4 and 5, is of a channel type having an inner wall 5, an outer wall 8 and a common base portion 1. The inner wall 5, in my preferred form, has a flange means 8 extending inwardly from the upper edge at substantially right angles to the inner wall. At a stated point on its length the outer wall 6 is preferably bent away from the inner wall 5 so as to provide a suitable opening to receive hand bag covering material (not shown) which is secured within the channeled cross-section.

Each frame section is formed of a blank 9 (Fig. 2) cut from a single strip of ductile sheet metal material and having a width corresponding to the greatest width of the strip. Before the cutting of the blank 9, parallel scores, herein shown as three, are formed longitudinally of the sheet metal strip. Two of the scores It and II form the lines along which the material of the blank is bent to form the upstanding side walls 5 and 6. The third score l2 forms the line along which the side wall 5 is bent to form the inwardly-extending flange portion 8. Each of the scores, in my preferred form, is cut a predetermined distance into the material of the strip and is V-shaped in cross-section, as shown in Fig. 5, for reasons which will be hereinafter described.

The blank 9 has an ear-shaped element 3 at one end and a projecting portion l3 at the other end adapted to be formed into the hollow bearing 4, illustrated in Fig. 1. The material of the blank has been cut away longitudinally along the score l2 for a predetermined distance inwardly from each of the free ends of the blank so as to provide a longitudinally projecting portion 14 out of which is formed the flange portion 8. Apertures i5 are cut in the blank in such a way that two triangles are formed as part of each aperture. One of the triangles of each aperture has its base in substantial alignment with the score while the other has its base in alignment with the score ll. Opposite vertices iii of each pair of triangles extend transversely of the strip, as most clearly shown in Fig. 2. At the same time that the triangularshaped apertures are formed, a predetermined amount of the material disposed between each pair of triangles is cut away so as to leave a projection l1 extending into each of the apertures l5 (Fig. 2).

After the blank has been formed in the manner described, it is bent longitudinally along the vertices of the scores It) and II so as to provide a channel-like strip having a pair of upstanding spaced side walls and a common base portion 1 substantially as shown in Fig. 3. In the same or another operation the material I 4 adjacent to the longitudinal free edge of the inner wall 5 is bent longitudinally along the vertex of the score I2 so as to form the inwardlyextending flange 8 (Figs. 1, 4 and 5). It will be noticed that after the blank has been bent in the manner described, the materials adjacent to opposite sides of the respective V-shaped scores l0, H and I2 are disposed in substantially adjacent relation and are in contact, as most clearly shown in Figs. 4 and 5, with the result that durable joints of mitered formation are provided. This construction provides relatively sharp inner and outer angles along the line of bend which provides a strong neat joint.

In completing the frame section the channellike strip is bent along the line of the transversely-extending vertices 16 of the aperture I5 so as to form the end portions 22 extending in angular relation to the main portion I (Fig. 1). After carrying out this bending operation, the materials adjacent to opposed legs of each of the triangles of the respective apertures l5 lie in close relation, as shown in Fig. 1. In subsequent steps the projection I3, at the free end of one of the leg portions 2, is formed into the hollow bearing 4, as shown in Fig. 1, and the projection H, which was left upstanding in perpendicular relation to the main portion l of the section after the bending operation by which the end portions were formed, is bent into adjacent relation to the base portion 1 of the main portion I and is preferably spot-welded to the base portion.

As a result of my method of scoring the sheet metal strip, I am enabled to bend the blank into the form of the channeled strip in an easier and more efficient manner than is now known and, at the same time, the frame section formed by my improved method is equally as strong and durable as other frame sections formed from sheet metal strips unprovided with my improved score means.

Although I have illustrated and described a preferred embodiment of my invention, I do not wish to be limited thereby because the scope of my invention is best set forth in the following claim.

I claim:

The method of making a channelled bag frame section having a main portion and two end portions disposed in angular relation thereto which comprises cutting a V-shaped scoring longitudinally in one surface of a strip of thin sheet metal along a line constituting a predetermined line of bend, cutting the frame section blank from the scored strip, bending the blank longitudinally to channelled form along lines, at least one of which is defined by the apex of said scoring so that the adjacent surfaces of the V- shaped scoring are in contact, to provide relatively sharp inner and outer angles along the line of said bend, and finally bending the channelled strip transversely at points spaced from the ends thereof to form the end portions of the section.

JOSEPH F. COX. 

